1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an imprint apparatus and an imprint method which forms a replica which is replicated a convex and concave pattern corresponding to a concave and convex pattern, by an imprint mold with the concave and convex pattern being forced on a transfer material.
2. Description of the Related Art
Relating to development about recent nanotechnology, several imprint apparatus are suggested (for example, referring to JP, A, 2003-173584, JP, A, 2003-109254, JP, A, 2003-67989, JP, A, 2002-42387). The imprint apparatus is an apparatus which forms a replica replicated by convex and concave patterns on imprint mold based on compressing power which an imprint mold is forced against liquid transfer materials on a substrate.
For instance, the prior art described in JP, A, 2003-173584 shows a technology for manufacturing recordable information media sheets. These sheets are manufactured to be heat-pressed with a sheet which made from styrene hydride-polymer touched stampers under a decompressed an atmosphere at less than 30 kPa. The prior art described in JP, A, 2003-109254 also shows a technology for manufacturing optical recording substrates. These substrates are manufactured to be heat-pressed an organic high polymer sheet with its surface roughly polished on a stamper under a decompressed atmosphere.
On the other hand, the prior art described in JP, A, 2003-67989 shows a technology for manufacturing a cover layer for information recordable optical media by transcribing groove shape of a stamper on less than or equal 0.2 mm sheet under the several conditions. These conditions are less than or equal 13.33 Pa vacuum rate, 150-300 degrees temperature, 0.5-10 kg/cm2. The prior art described in JP, A, 2002-42387 shows a technology for manufacturing recordable media forced and transcribed stamper surface patterns under in decompressed or vacuumed environment without causing any bubble on the surface on a board or sheet substrate or a recordable layer.
Targets which this imprint apparatus may be applied to are several product fields which an imprint lithography technology is applied to: a semiconductor related field, a magnetic recording apparatus (discrete track media. Patterned Media) related field, a device (razor, optical transmission lines, an so on) related field, a minute processing pars related field such as MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical System: a technology for combining micro electronics and micro machining), NEMS (Nano Electro Mechanical System: Nano Electromechanical System technology), manufacturing process for the next generation recording media.
As the above described, the imprint apparatus transcribes the imprint mold on the transfer material. At this time, the transfer material comes into a concave part pattern by compressed pressure and the patterns are turned into a convex part pattern correspond to the concave part pattern. In this situation, when the transfer material comes into the concave part pattern of the imprint mold, it is likely that air comes into the concave part. The air which comes into is sealed up at the bottom of the concave part by the transfer material and has no way to come out. Therefore, the existence of the sealed up air effect on the transcription efficiency.
The prior art described in JP, A, 2003-173584 focuses on a topic which try not to be caught air by limiting atmosphere pressure on specific pressure condition by using a 20 tons press machine. However, the prior art does not take it into consideration to have desirable transcription even if air is caught. The prior art does not particularly show any obvious conditions in terms of forcing power (press pressure). It is possible not to be able to have sufficient transcription if the forcing power is changed under indicated certain decompression atmosphere.
The prior art described in JP, A, 2003-109254 also focuses on a topic which try not to be caught air by making easy to release air by make a sheet surface rough and by atmosphere decompression. The prior art independently provides each range in terms of decompression and compression conditions, according to a pair of these conditions the probability not to have sufficient transcription will get higher.
In the prior art described in JP, A, 2003-67989 simply tries to limit forcing pressure condition under a fixed atmosphere pressure condition (vacuum rate environment). Therefore, the prior art does not also take it consideration to have desirable transcription even if air is caught. The vacuum of atmosphere pressure and forcing condition are independently performed each range. According to these pairs it is likely not to have sufficient transcription. Further, transcribed status is decided only by recording characteristic status in terms of recordable disks, and is not evaluated by patterns shape and transcription rate. To think about an imprint apparatus in general, the transcription result seems to have probability not to be enough.
The prior art described in JP, A, 2002-42387 primarily focuses on prevention to cause bubbles made from a resin over-heated up to glass transition point and decomposition melting point (in other words, equal to exclusion of liquid resinous bubbles). The prior art does not take it in consideration to be able to have desirable transcription even if air is caught. The prior art does not particularly make the condition clear in terms of forcing pressure. According to a pair with atmosphere pressure the forcing pressure has potential that sufficient transcription is not held.
In this way, the above described each prior arts adopt imprint apparatus as a developed style of a resin molding apparatus and press machines which determine the condition focused on relation between temperature and pressure under normal temperature. Or the prior arts adopt imprint apparatus as a developed style of a transcription apparatus with ultraviolet rays curable resin which tries to imprint with almost no pressure under vacuum environment. According to each of these prior arts, the each limited desirable condition during these imprint apparatus are used, is got simply by try and error method. Therefore, in each of the prior arts it is not taken it in consideration that the condition which makes it possible to have desirable transcription in case air comes into the concave part pattern of the imprint mold with the transfer materials.
Therefore, to make it possible to have enough transcription even if the air comes into the concave part pattern of the imprint mold, it is necessary to raise the forcing power extremely high or to reduce the atmosphere pressure extremely low. To realize the extremely high pressurization or the extremely low vacuum rate, there is a problem that the apparatus gets complicated and large sized.
The above described problem is given as one of examples the present invention should solve.